Flow controller



FLOW CONTROLLER Filed Nov. 10, 1933 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 FIE FLOW CONTROLLER Herman A. Hood, Houston, Tex.

Application November 10, 1933, Serial No. 697,367

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a flow controller.

An object of the invention is to provide appa ratus for regulating and controlling the flow of fluid, under pressure.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character described adapted to be connected with a flow line through which liquid is to be conducted under varying pressures and which is of a construction that will secure a substantially uniform output of the liquid.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that is regulated automatically by the varying pressures to which the oncoming liquid is subjected.

The apparatus is particularly applicable to the flow line from wells, such as oil or gas wells from which the fluid flows under strong, but varying, pressures.

It is becoming common practice tolimit the output from oil wells to a daily allowable quantity and this output of oil is restricted to the allowable quantity by adjusting the valve on the outflow line so that, under ordinary pressure, only the permitted volume of oil can flow from the line and then looking the valve in said adjusted position. Under actual conditions, however, this customary method of fixing the output of a well, is inaccurate in that the pressures of the outflowing liquid vary and under strong pressure the allowable output will be exceeded. It is one of the prime objects of this invention to provide means adapted to be connected into the flow line from a well between the source of pressure and the valve referred to whereby a uniform pressure of the liquid, flowing through the controlling valve of the flow line, will be secured.

A still further object is to provide, in a regulating device of this character, visible indicating means whereby variations in the volume of a liquid passing through the apparatus and the wear on, and increased capacity of, the flow conduit through the apparatus, will be indicated.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the complete applaratus.

Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view taken on the ine 2-2 of Figure l, and

E ure 3 shows a side elevation of the apparatus connected into a flow line leading out from a well.

In the drawing the numeral l designates a casing having a cylindrical shaped chamber i therein whose ends are closed by the end plates 2, 3 which are detachably secured to the casing. An s outlet pipe i leading from the well tubing 5 5 an enters one side of the casing and said casing has a transverse bore 6 through which liquid may flow from the pipe 4.

There is a plunger valve 7 reciprocable in the cylindrical chamber 5' which has a transverse bore 8 normally aligned with the bore 6. The end of the valve 1 adjacent the end plate 3 has an axial bore 9 whose inner end terminates in an elongated side opening l9 which is constantly in registration with the transverse bore l I. The bores E and l i are connected by a longitudinal channel i2 in the casing which is closed by the removable side plate E3. The gritty substance in the liquid will gradually cut out the side plate l3 and hence it is made removable so that it can be readily replaced. On the opposite side of the casing there is the inside longitudinal keyway I4 leading from the end plate 3 to the bore 6 and a removable key i5 is secured to the valve l and fits into said keyway with its end which faces to- 25 ward the bore i5 spaced at distance from said bore somewhat greater than the transverse diameter of the bore 6.

A flow line it is connected to the end plate 3 and has acontrol valve ll incorporated therein. This valve ll may be opened a suficient distance to permit only the allowable flow of liquid and suitably secured and sealed in said position of adjustment. The oil flowing fro-m the well will pass under pressure from the pipe l through the bore 6, passing also through the bore 8 and will pass thence along the channel i2 and the bore H, through the opening it and bore 9, and will pass thence out through the flow line it. While the well is flowing under normal pressure the plunger valve '5 will remain inactive. Should the pressure of the liquid increase a back pres sure will be set up against the end of the plunger valve l adjacent the end plate 3, said end being exposed to said pressure by reason of the fact that it is held spaced from the end plate 3 by the legs iii. This excess pressure will move the valve 1 toward the opposite end plate 2 thus restricting the bore 8 but allowing the bore H to remain unrestricted. The pressure of the liquid flowing through the valve ii will accordingly be reduced so as to maintain said pressure of ,the liquid flowing through the valve ll approximately uniform and in case of very high pressure the bore 8 may be completely closed so as to relieve the liquid flowing through the valve H from such excessive pressures.

Upon any substantial reduction of pressure of the liquid on the lowpressure side of the bore 8, the pressure of the oncoming liquid against the exposed end of the key 5 will move the plunger valve 1 back toward its original position, thus increasing the pressure of the liquid flowing through the valve H.

The end plate 2 has an opening l9 and the adjacent end of the plunger valve 1 has a gauge bar 20 secured thereto which works through said opening and may be marked so as to indicate when the bore 8 is fully closed. This bore 8 will be gradually enlarged by the sand and other gritty substances in the liquid and as it is enlarged, the gauge bar 20 will be projected out further through the opening |9 so as to indicate the amount of wear on said valve to the end that the valve may be replaced when it becomes worn.

Incorporated intothe flow line I6 between the valve I1 and the end plate 3 there is a cylinder 2| arranged in approximately right angular relation with respect to said flow line. One end of the cylinder is permanently closed and the other end is closed by a removable end plate 22 which is secured to the cylinder and which has the gland 23 screwed therethrough formed with an axial bearing 24. A closure cap 25 may be attached to the end plate 22 to inclose said gland.

A plunger 26 is fitted into the cylinder 2| and is provided with a transverse bore 21 normally aligned with the passageway of the flow line H5. The plunger 26 has the stem 28 attached thereto which works through the bearing 24. A coil spring 29 is interposed between the inner end of the gland 23 and the opposing end of the plunger 25 and surrounds the stem 28.

When the valve |1 isset for the allowable flow, the end plate 22 and the gland and cap 23, 25 carried by said end plate are removed and the stem 28 is manually grasped to locate the plunger 26 at the desired position to align the bore 21 with the outlet bore 9 and the pressure of the fluid flowing through said bores will maintain the plunger 26 in said last mentioned position. The spring 29 is then inserted into place and the plate 22 bolted in'position and said plunger 26 will then move back and forth in accordance with variations in the pressure but said variations will never be sufficient to permit the spring 29 to completely close the bore 21 under ordinary conditions. Should the flow from the well temporarily cease or should the pressure become low enough to' permit the spring 29 to move the plunger into position to close the bore 21, then the end plate 22 will have to be removed so as to permit the adjustment of the plunger 26 to operating position when the flow of liquid from the well is again resumed.

There is a duct 39 leading from the cylinder beyond the opposite end of the plunger 26 and terminating in the flow line l6 at a point between the cylinder 2| and the valve l1, and a pressure gauge 3| is also connected into said flow line between said cylinder and valve.

The gland 23 may be adjusted so that the compression of the spring 29 will maintain the plunger 26 inactive under normal pressure, said normal pressure being indicated by the indicator 3|. In case of increased pressure of the oncoming fluid suflicient to overcome the resistance of the spring 29, said pressure will operate against the plunger 26 to further compress the spring 29 and to partly close the bore 21 thus relieving the pressure on the liquid passing through the valve IT. This will operate to protect the valve H to prevent it from being cut out by strong surges of 5 the liquid through the valve. As before stated, this liquid usually bears gritty substances and unless the valve is so protected it would soon be out out by the liquid.

The high pressure of the liquid, in case of a 0 sudden increase in pressure, acting against the plunger 26 and closing, or partly closing, the bore 21 not only has the efiect of securing an approximately uniform flow of liquid through the valve l1, but also accelerates the building up of a back 15 pressure against the plunger valve 1 so as to effect a quicker movement of said valve 1 toward its closed position to restrict the bore 8 or to completely close it so as more eifectively to reduce the pressure of the liquid on the low pressure 20 side of the valve 1.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the invention will be defined 25 by the appended claims.

What I claim is:-

1. In a flow controller, a casing having a chamber therein, a plunger valve movable longitudinally of said chamber, said casing having a trans- 30 verse bore which continues through said plunger valve, one end of said valvehaving an outlet bore whose inner end terminates in an elongated side opening, said casing having a channel which connects said transverse bore with said side open- 5 ing, and also having an outlet passageway aligned with the outlet bore of said valve, a cylinder connected into said outlet passageway, a plunger in said cylinder having a transverse bore movable into and out of registration with said passage- 40 way, a yieldable member acting against one end of said plunger and said cylinder having a duct arranged to admit liquid under pressure from said passageway to operate against the other end of said plunger. 45

2. The combination with a flow line having a conduit for conducting liquid under pressure and having a valve for regulating the volume of liquid flowing through the line, of means in the line between the valve and the source of pressure and 50 arranged to be affected by the liquid pressure to restrict the flow of liquid to the valve upon the increase of said pressure, said controlling means including a casing having a chamber therein, a plunger valve movable longitudinally of the cham- 55 ber, said conduit continuing through said casing and plunger valve, one end of the valve having an outlet bore whose inner end terminates in an elongated side opening, said casing having a channel which connects said transverse bore with said side opening and also having an outlet passage! way aligned with the outlet bore, said bores, side opening, channel and passageway also forming continuations of said conduit, a cylinder connected into said outlet passageway, a plunger in said cylinder having a transverse bore movable into and out of registration with said passageway, a yieldable member acting against one end of said plunger and said cylinder having a duct arranged to admit liquid under pressure from said 7 passageway to operate against the other end of said plunger.

HERMAN A. HOCQ). 

